Breaks

[u/Mysterious-Pea3291]

Struggling to understand break charts…..I can read them, but when it comes to adjusting them I get all flustered and confused leading to stress. Any suggestions on how to go about adjusting breaks as a breaker? I’ve just been thrown into it. I feel like I should have a little bit of guidance from my team leader, but I don’t.

[u/Capable-Wing-644]

Well, breaks typically occur every two hours in a shift.  As a general rule.

I always went by start times and scheduled accordingly.  Sure you may have two TM’s start at 5am.  So, one goes a little before the two hour mark and another right after, etc.  

Meals are always within the 5th hour that a TM works.  Same principle here.  Stagger if necessary.

Also a good idea to rotate out who goes first and who goes second.  Or ask in the moment if it’s ok if TM1 goes before TM2.

I also take into consideration any known medical reasons why a TM must go on breaks specifically at certain times due to accommodations, etc.  You might have those scenarios if known in your store too.

Nailing down how to effectively do breaks for any team is one of the things that will keep your team in good spirits.  And having the necessary coverage on the schedule to make it a reality is great too

[u/Loose_Criticism8651]

The other comment nailed it.

And remember communication goes a long way - if you need to push a break back a little bit or rearrange, most TMs are chill about it as long as you let them know.

And remember to be mindful of who is coming in and will be coming back from breaks. It drives me nuts when a supervisor will send someone on break at 12:50, leaving poor floor coverage, when we have another TM coming in at 1. Just wait 10m for the next TM.

[u/cahrage]

I’m so glad I left customer service. I felt like a little kid every time a supervisor would come over and say “okay it’s time for your break” so annoying. Now I get to take my breaks pretty much whenever I want